About Bradley R.
Bradley R. Haywood blends a background in philosophy with a formal legal education. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, completing that degree in 1998. He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2003. Those academic years set the groundwork for a practice that crosses both trial and appellate work.
His professional path includes admissions to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia, and he is authorized to appear before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. That range of jurisdictions has shaped the kinds of matters he accepts and the courts where he argues. It also means he regularly moves between trial courts and appellate panels, adjusting advocacy to fit each forum.
Columbia Law provided a traditional training in litigation and legal analysis; his undergraduate study of philosophy added another dimension. Colleagues say that background tends to show up in briefs and oral argument—clear structure, careful attention to premises and consequences. He applies those habits to briefs, motions and courtroom presentations alike.
His work covers litigation across civil matters and appellate proceedings. He has represented clients in state and federal courts in Virginia and in matters filed in the District of Columbia. Before the Fourth Circuit, he has filed and argued appellate briefs. That mix keeps the day-to-day varied: intensive factual development on one day, meticulous brief drafting the next.
He practices at Sheldon, Flood & Haywood PLC, a firm that carries his name. At the firm he collaborates with other lawyers on case strategy and courtroom work. He also prepares appellate records and crafts arguments for higher courts. His responsibilities range from client counseling to courtroom advocacy, depending on what a given matter requires.
Outside the courtroom, he maintains connections to legal developments in the jurisdictions where he is admitted. He tracks new decisions and adapts litigation strategy when precedent changes. The combination of a liberal arts background and a Columbia Law education shapes how he evaluates legal problems and organizes arguments.
He continues to represent clients in Virginia and the District of Columbia and to handle appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, focusing his practice on appellate and trial litigation in those forums.
